When a friend gave me Yvette van Boven's Home Made as a birthday gift a few years ago, this was one of the first recipes I cooked from the book.
Now, I honestly didn't know how to make this dish the way that it was originally described. The original calls for cooking the eggs under the broiler and, at the time, I had a range where the broiler was in the little drawer under the oven. I didn't know how to use it nor the confidence that anything I put in it wouldn't be either undercooked or burnt to a crisp. So, I've adapted this dish for the oven - a much safer bet for the likes of your eggs.
It's delicious and I've never made it for anyone who hasn't been pleased with the outcome.
Baked Omelette with Sausage, Spinach, and Mozzarella
Adapted, loosely, from Home Made by Yvette van Boven
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 lb (8 oz.) sausage (I prefer breakfast style)
1 medium white or yellow onion diced
1/2 - 2 lbs of spinach (You can really load this dish up or tone it down depending on how much you like spinach)
8 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
8 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella
salt
pepper
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Over medium heat, place a tbsp of butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet or other heavy bottomed pan. Once butter has melted and foam subsided, put sausage in the pan and cook until browned and fat rendered, stirring occasionally, approximately 5-6 minutes. Once browned, remove sausage with slotted spoon and set aside in a medium-sized bowl lined with paper towels.
After removing sausage, turn heat to medium-low and place the diced onion in the skillet. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Saute onion in the butter and fat until soft, translucent, and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 5-6 minutes. Add to the bowl with the sausage.
If the butter and fat has burned off, add another tbsp. of butter.
Add spinach to the skillet and saute over medium-low heat until soft and wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Squeeze out the juice from the spinach by pressing it against the side of the skillet with a slotted spoon and add to bowl with sausage and onion mixture and allow to cool slightly. Remove skillet from heat.
Important: Make sure you squeeze out as much juice from the spinach as you can. Too much moisture will make the baked omelette soggy and keep it from setting correctly.
In a medium sized bowl, add egg and heavy cream, thyme, Dijon, nutmeg, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, and whisk until combined. Set aside.
Wipe out the skillet and line with a piece of parchment paper. Place sausage mixture in the pan, distributing evenly. Alternatively, you could use a pie pan and or other baking dish to bake in. Pour in egg and cream mixture and shake the skillet gently, allowing the egg and cream mixture to seep into the sausage, onion, and spinach.
Slice mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices and place slices evenly across the top of the contents of the pan.
Place skillet in the top level of your oven and bake for 30 minutes until puffed and golden.